Tattoo
by sick-atxxheart
Summary: The war is over, and many have been lost. Harry convinces everyone left to get tattoos in memory of the dead.


The tattoo parlor was completely empty, as Harry had paid the owner quite a large sum of money to ensure there would be no other customers that night. It was one large room, with various black curtains hanging all over in order to create a sense of privacy; however, it was quite obvious that there was none. Having never been into a real tattoo parlor, Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that Wizarding tattoos were much more advanced than Muggle tattoos were. He had seen enough on the television to know that getting a Muggle tattoo wasn't exactly the most... enjoyable thing in the world.

Hermione and Ginny obviously looked nervous, and he could see the tears in a few of the others' eyes. Convincing Sirius, Ron, Fred, George, Charlie, Ginny, Arthur, Hermione, and Remus to come with him tonight hadn't been easy. They were all still devastated by the losses they had suffered in the war- Tonks, Molly, Bill, Fleur, Percy, McGonogall, and Snape had all been lost. The blows had been devastating not only to their chances of winning the war, but also to their hearts. Harry had ultimately won, but it was still a normal occurrence for him to hear crying in the night. He tried not to place the sound.

It was only a week later, but Harry's brilliant idea had come to him one night. Sirius' wrists were tattooed all the way up to his elbow, and in the midst of the aftermath of the war Harry had taken the time to ask him what they all meant. Sirius' answer had been touching- each tattoo meant something different, something _real_, and for Harry it was almost like a lifeline he could hold on to. Sirius' tattoos reminded him of the past every time he saw them, and Harry wanted that for himself.

It was just the beginning of the pain for everyone, Harry knew, and he thought that maybe- just maybe- having a physical representation of what they cared for, and what they had lost, would make a difference. Thus his plan to convince everyone to get a tattoo of their choice, all together, began.

Harry couldn't quite believe it was actually happening.

He had asked each person, privately of course, to consider deeply what they wanted to be permanently inked on their body, and where they wanted to put it. Sirius had expressed to him concerns of having highly visible tattoos, as some workplaces were highly against the display of body art; however, Harry had quickly pointed out that glamours could cover a tattoo for a short period of time. That factor in itself had been a huge factor in Hermione's and Remus' decisions, as they were clearly the most conservative of the group. Harry, however, was just happy that they had all accepted; he had made it quite obvious to all of them that it meant a lot.

The room was slightly dark, and Harry pulled Ginny closer as he waited for the owner of the place, a large man named Steven, to come up to them. When he did, his smile was wide and his voice was pleasant.

"Welcome, everyone," he said, grinning. "It's a pleasure to have you here."

The nods and returned greetings filled the room, and a moment or two later Harry took control of the situation. It was clear that everyone else was rather unclear on how this whole process was going to work, but Harry knew exactly what he wanted to happen.

"Alright, everyone, listen up," Harry said, looking over at the people he had long ago begun to consider his family. "We're all here for the same reason, yeah? We're going to get tattoos, and although I know you may be scared, I know we have all lost something. Remembering those things... those people... I think that is one of the most important things in the world, and that's why I'm here today. I'm so proud of you all for following me... thank you."

Harry coughed rather uncomfortably, but then forged on. "I- I will be going first... if you want someone with you, don't hesitate to ask. S-Sirius? Would you?"

The tremor in his voice was obvious as Harry asked his godfather to come with him, and Sirius' kind eyes shone back as he nodded his assent. As the two of them walked away, out of the corner of his eye Harry could see a few other men come up to the rest of the group, and he saw a hesitant Ginny, accompanied by Arthur, walk away with one man, and Fred and George go with another.

Harry had been careful not to ask each person what kind of tattoo they were getting, but he had made it clear that they would be sharing them later. Although he had felt almost rude making this a type of "requirement", he wanted this process to be a growing and healing experience for everyone. This seemed to be the best way to do it.

The black-curtained "room" in the back of the larger space was very quiet, and Harry almost couldn't hear the rest of the hustle and bustle that was still taking place in the front of the shop. It was almost relaxing, but Harry could hear the thrumming of his nervous heart as he followed Steven into the room.

The equipment in the room looked very strange to Harry, and he eyed it curiously while Steven explained it. It appeared that magic was used in place of a needle, however certain spells were needed in order to beam the "ink" through the wand and into the person's skin. It sounded very complicated, and Harry got lost very fast. Sirius seemed to understand it, however, as he and Steven began to start talking quietly about Sirius' own tattoos, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

His own decision had been to get a number on his outer bicep. _42. _The number was completely in large black letters, with smaller black cursive letters going in an almost frame-like circle around the numbers. The letters represented the first initial of each person Harry considered his family- Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Charlie, Bill, Molly, Arthur, Sirius, Remus, Neville, and Luna. He was aware that the tattoo was highly personal, and he had almost cried when he had thought of it.

The _42 _represented the number of people who had died in the war that Harry had some direct relationship or contact with. Harry's guilt was often all-consuming, and his genuine hope was that this tattoo would dull some of the pain. It was a silent tribute, a unknown honor to those fallen- and Harry wanted to do it. For him. For _them._

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Steven, who had obviously asked for a second time, "Are you ready, Harry?" He nodded, and handed the man the white paper that his chosen tattoo was drawn out on. Sirius looked at it over the man's shoulder, and Harry could already see his godfather trying to reason out what the symbols meant. Harry, however, just figured he would explain it later and focused on what Steven was telling him.

"Muggle tattoos are very painful," he explained, looking Harry directly in the eye. Harry could tell he was a no-nonsense type of man, and he appreciated that. He continued: "However, Wizarding tattoos aren't nearly as painful. They sting like hell every once in a while, but it's gone as soon as you think you feel it. Sticking it out really isn't that hard."

Harry nodded at him, and Steven picked up his wand, looking at Harry with raised eyebrows. Harry's gentle nod confirmed his choice, and so the process began.

The first sting of the magic startled Harry, and he almost jumped. He would have, if it weren't for the small strap on the white table holding his arm firmly in place, as so that Steven's work would be straight and even no matter how much Harry moved. Harry could see Sirius watch on with interest, and he grimaced slightly as the magic moved over to yet another sensitive place on his skin.

Compared to what Harry had experienced early on in his life, the pain of the magic flowing in to and staining his skin really seemed like nothing. His guess was that most of the others would share his opinion, as he knew from personal experience that they had all lived through their own pain. He was happy to himself that it wasn't painful, but instead of dwelling on that fact he focused on what was really happening.

He was getting a _tattoo-_ a permanent, living memory that would go on forever. It was for them, and Harry was proud- not of himself, but for the lives that had been lost and the memory that would live on forever.

--

What seemed like hours later, but what was really not that long, the entire group met back in the main entrance to the tattoo parlor. Harry could see the gentle, almost _proud_ smiles that were present on everyone's faces. Arms and shoulders and wrists and even ankles were being held very gently, and Harry completely understood- the pain _after _the actual process was over was even worse than while it was happening.

Steven came up hestitantly to the group, and without a word Harry handed over a small fabric bag weighted down with Galleons. Harry easily saw the large man's eyes widen, and in a low voice he said, "Keep it all, and I would appreciate it if you kept this a secret, yeah?"

Steven nodded quickly, mumbling out a whispered word of thanks. Harry simply smiled at him, and motioned for the group to head out to their Apparition point.

--

When they all arrived back at Grimmauld (which was still held in high distate by them all as a whole), the whole group settled down in the main living room. They were all draped across chairs and sofas, mingling together as only a family knows how. Harry sat next to Ginny, and Ron and Hermione were together as always.

It was Arthur, this time, who broke the silence that wasn't quite awkward but just a step below it. "I'm really proud of you all," he said quietly, looking them all in the eyes with a soft fatherly attitude. "I know it was hard- losing all these people in the war- I m-mean, I l-lost Molly," he broke off with a small, broken smile, tears in his eyes. Charlie tightened his grip around his father's shoulder.

"Anyway," Arthur continued, after one shuddering deep breath took hold of his body, "Anyway... we all have to move on. I know it's hard... but we have to, and I think this is a good way to do it."

He looked at Harry expectantly, and Harry took his cue easily.

"Alright, all," he said. "I'm proud of you too... I think it feels good. To have a living memory of what you can't forget, yeah?" The resounding chorus of affirmative answers pleased Harry, and he smiled. "Alright then, I guess we have to get to the sharing part..."

Without any introduction, Harry rolled up his right shirt sleeve to show off the bulging muscle. Training for the war had left him stronger than he had ever been before; but now, the black tattoo stood out against his pale skin like a beacon, easily noticeable but much harder to comprehend.

There was dead silence around the room as everyone stared at Harry's tattoo, but Harry didn't feel at all self-conscious from the attention. He was used to it, and in this circumstance he even wanted it.

After a few moments, it was Ron who finally asked, "What does it mean, mate?"

Harry smiled again. "_42,_" he said slowly. "Ring a bell?" When everyone shook their heads, he continued. "That's the number of people that I have been in contact with personally, who have died in the war." Before everyone even had time to gasp, he continued. "And these letters? These are all the first initials of those who mean something to me." He looked up at everyone around him and smiled, truly happy with his decision.

Everyone seemed to be in awe of what Harry had decided to choose for his tattoo, especially Hermione, who punctuated the situation with her characteristic "Oh, Harry!" Harry simply smiled, and motioned for Ginny, the next around the circle, to go ahead.

Ginny looked quite nervous as she pulled up her sleeve and revealed an almost perfect replication of a flickering flame on her left wrist. "We Weasleys- and our extended family," she added as an afterthought, smiling warmly at Hermione and Harry, "We never give up. Our flame is always burning."

Charlie revealed his newest tattoo on his right shoulder, a black heart. His explanation of this tattoo was that although the world may get darker, the love never dies. Harry couldn't

Fred showed off his new "_WWW_" tattoo, stating simply, "_WWW_ can mean a lot of different things, not just Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, I swear!" Everyone laughed at him, but he just laughed it off with them. Harry didn't mind- he took it to represent the Weasley family, and if that's what Fred wanted, it was good enough for him.

George had gotten a smaller tattoo- a replica of the crest of Hogwarts, in the same place as Harry's tattoo. "That's where this all started," he explained, "and that's where it all ended." The smile on his face had been small but sincere.

Sirius was next, and it took him a good few minutes to roll up his sleeve far enough to show off the tattoo. Meanwhile, being Sirius, he couldn't help but crack a joke. "Hold on, I might have lost it- there's too many of them here-" He was, of course, referring to the many tattoos that already covered his wrists and arms. The new tattoo, however, stood out surprisingly well against his skin, as it was the only one completely in black. In cursive letters on his bicep, the letters "_LJRSH" _were permanently inked. No one had to ask what they meant, and everyone carefully avoided the fact that all the original Maurauders were on there except one.

Remus sat next to Sirius, and his tattoo was in a similar place as Ginny's. Harry was especially interested to see Remus' tattoo, as he really had no idea what the man had gotten. He had lost Tonks, and Harry knew that was a big loss.

Remus' tattoo actually did surprise Harry, however. The word "_never_" was inked on his left wrist, and without Remus even explaining it Harry understood. The man's words, however, better clarified everything: "We never gave up, and those we lost are never gone. We never surrendered, and the dead will never be forgotten. We ourselves will never forget, and hopefully never again will something like this happen."

Everyone had smiled appreciatively, and the werewolf had looked pleased.

Ron was next, and as usual his ears turned red before he spoke. "I- I really couldn't decide what to get," he said sheepishly, before turning around to show the small black tattoo that was just under his right ear. It was a small black star. "Harry, Hermione and I- we were the Trio," Ron explained, "but we each... you know... had our own strengths and stuff. We each... erm... had our own star." His words were extremely awkward, but he was rewarded by Hermione giving him a brief kiss.

Arthur had also gotten initials inked on his arm, those of his family, including Harry and Hermione. The tattoo looked impressive- the letters "_AMBCPFGRGHH" _ran down his arm in a long line.

Hermione's was the one everyone had been waiting anxiously to see, and they were all extremely surprised to see that she had gotten a tattoo that ran across the shoulder blades on her back. It was a beautiful portrayal of a rising sun, with her, Harry's, and Ron's names written across the horizon line. She got rather choked up when she tried to explain it, and Harry just hugged her instead and smiled, tears running down his own face.

"I wanted to say thank you," Harry said, his voice nearly just a whisper. "This- this means a lot to me. We've been through so much together, but we've... we've lost so much at the same time. We- we will never forget."

The room was silent, but the agreement was unspoken. They would never forget.

And forevermore, their tattoos reminded them of their loves, their losses, and most of all their lives.

--

**Please review! I really liked this story :)**


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